Bulletin Announcements
September 30, 2018
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Mark 9:45 – “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.” So what is causing us to sin? Lust? Greed? Fear? Better to cut it off! We need the Lord’s help to do this – and you are in the right place this Lord’s Day to receive that help through Word and Sacrament.
NEED A RIDE? If you are unable to drive to church, we have an option that is available. Please speak with Pastor who has the details. Thank you.
OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2nd level (the west side).
THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS meets in the basement at 9:15 a.m.
LWML LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF: It’s that time again to think about purchasing items for Health Kits. Items needed for each kit: 1) One Bath Towel (dark color); 2) Two Bath Size Bars of Soap; 3) One Comb (Sturdy; No fine tooth comb); 4) One Metal Nail Clipper; 5) One Toothbrush. There also is a list of items needed on the table in the narthex for you to take with you if you need. If you have any questions please see or call Joann Hart (309) 310-9205. Thank you!
OCTOBER’S FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES will be held Friday, October 19th at 6:30 p.m. The movie is: “I BELIEVE WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE”. Nine year old Brian (Rowan Smyth) has a supernatural encounter with God, an experience that sends him on an adventurous quest to “find out more about what Christians believe.” He faces heavy opposition from the world around him, especially from his own father Simon (Matt Lindquist), an atheist TV newscaster. Brian finds allies in the pastor of a local church (Wilford Brimley) and a wounded U.S. Marine (Jeremy London). Brian’s pure and innocent faith brings about manifestations of God’s extraordinary power that quickly becomes Breaking News. Don’t miss out on this miracle packed adventure! Join us Friday night, October 19th at 6:30 p.m. for another great movie, good food and wonderful fellowship!
GOOD SHEPHERD’S ANNUAL VOTER’S MEETING is scheduled for Sunday, November 11, 2018, following the 10:30 worship service. Preceding the meeting will be a potluck dinner.
FELLOWSHIP HOSTS: In order to get more people involved in our Coffee/Donut Fellowship for 2018 we have two separate sign-ups: Donut Pick-up and Coffee Set-up. We would like to encourage you to sign-up for one or the other. You may also sign-up for both if you wish. The sign-up is by the door by the north stairwell.
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The October—December 2018 Portals of Prayer are available on the book rack in the narthex. Pick up your free copy today.
LOOKING FOR A GOOD CHRISTIAN MOVIE TO SEE? “Unbroken: Path To Redemption” is the story of WWII Veteran and Olympic Athlete Louis Zamperini’s struggles with alcoholism and PTSD after his return from a Japanese prison camp and his hearing of the Word of God. An inspiring movie based on a true story.
YOU ARE INVITED: The Adult and Aging Group at Trinity Lutheran in Bloomington is sponsoring a seminar entitled, “De-Cluttering”. Learn where to recycle, avoid the trash, and get your home back. It will be from 2-4:00 p.m. TODAY, September 30th.
YOU ARE INVITED: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Eureka is having a Hog Roast NEXT SUNDAY, October 6th, from 4-7:00 p.m. Pastor has two tickets for anyone interested in going.
YOU ARE INVITED: Reverend William Weedon who served as Director of Worship for the LCMS is doing a workshop on “Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey – Recover the Joys of Piety”. It will be held at Christ Lutheran in Normal from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 13th. The cost is $10.00 and reservations can be made by calling the church at (309) 452-5609 or by email at: clcms@frontier.com.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “God Created” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Genesis 1:27. Life is a precious gift. Guest speaker, Reverend Perry Hart, warns against our culture’s devaluation of life and calls us to see ourselves and others as precious people, created by God, redeemed by Christ. Hear his message on The Lutheran Hour on WGN (720) at 6:00 a.m.; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tune in! You can also listen to The Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org.
FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE: If you miss church, please be reminded that copies of the previous week’s sermon are available on the table in the narthex. Also, the sermon will be available on our web site at www.goodshepherdblm.org. Thank you.
PRAYER CHAIN: If you have a prayer request please submit them by email to Mary Anne Kirchner at makirchner@yahoo.com or you may phone a Prayer Request to Mary Anne; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582. The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.
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Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules October 2018
Elder and Usher Schedule
| Oct 7 | Jeff Piper, Lucas Piper, Paul Gerike | Craig Culp | Bob Love, Greg McNeely |
| Oct 14 | Nick Hitch, Daryle Schempp | Randy Reinhardt | Bud Kessler, Curt Kessler, Mike Huth |
| Oct 21 | Joshua Parry, Craig Culp, Nathan Kluender | Barry Hamlin | Brian Dirks, Randy Reinhardt |
| Oct 28 | Gene Fuller, Richard Ross, Mike Field | Nathan Kluender | Theron Noth, Bob Love, Greg McNeely |
Acolyte Schedule
| Oct 7 | Lucas Piper | Pastor/Elder |
| Oct 14 | Pastor/Elder | Matt Williamson |
| Oct 21 | Chloe Hitch | Pastor/Elder |
| Oct 28 | Clayton Piper | Justin McNeely |
Celebrating October 2018
October Birthdays
Tom Anderson Oct 1
Fern Noth Oct 10
Barry Hamlin Oct 11
Jessica Isaac Oct 11
Payton Biddle Oct 12
John Hardy Oct 12
Travis Henson Oct 15
Maria Kirchner Oct 15
Jackie Semelka Oct 17
Cindy Sheley Oct 19
Shane Miller Oct 21
Chloe Hitch Oct 23
Teresa Casselman Oct 24
Helen Jensen Oct 24
Abby Biddle Oct 25
Cheryl Reichert Oct 28
October Baptismal Birthdays
Eli McNeely Oct 2
Bill McNeely Oct 2
Chad Lueck Oct 3
Brian Dirks Oct 4
David Marlow Oct 5
Andrea Brown Oct 9
Bill Huber Oct 9
Cleo Korte Oct 20
Steve Davis Oct 27
Ben Holland Oct 30
Hope Kirchner Oct 30
Stewardship Corner October 2018
Why do we give? Is it simply because God commands us to? Or is there more to it? To be sure, the instruction and Word of God in the Bible says we should give, and this is sufficient to encourage us to give (Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8:7; Gal 6:6).
But there’s more to it than just obligation. We’re not just trying to fulfill a work of the Law. We are bearing fruits of the Spirit given to us by our Father in heaven through His Son our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, we’re not just doing what our Father said, we’re also doing what He did.
Children emulate their parents. When they grow up they often carry many of the same mannerisms and characteristics as their parents, but there is more to it than that. Children copy their parents even on a more mundane level. They watch how their parents cross their legs, how they fold their hands, how they stand and sit and walk, how they do and say most everything.
And children try to copy it, which can be quite humorous when parents wish they wouldn’t. It can be uncomfortable and embarrassing if a child copies or repeats something less than polite that they learned from a parent. Sitcoms thrive on these situations. It only happens because children emulate their parents because they want to be like them.
We are the children of God, by grace, through faith. In Holy Baptism, God the Father declares of us what He declared of Jesus at His Baptism in the Jordan: “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God the Father claims us as His own. He takes away all our sins, and in exchange He gives us His righteousness, His purity, His holiness, and His Spirit, by which we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
We are born again, born from above, born of water and the Spirit, to a new life in Christ as His children. We are sons of God in Christ, through Baptism. And since we are sons, we are heirs – heirs who share in the glory of the Son of God. The inheritance is ours because of the Father’s grace and mercy, His generosity in sending His Son in time to save us for all eternity.
And this is why we give generously of our income to the work of the church. We want to be like our heavenly Father. We want to emulate His generosity by being generous ourselves. We give to the work of the Church because we have witnessed the generous giving of our Father in heaven.
More than that, we are recipients of it. It is because we have received God our Father’s gifts that we desire to give ourselves. And His gifts are not just spiritual. They are temporal and earthly as well. As the Small Catechism teaches in the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer:
“Give us this day our daily bread.” What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. What is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”
In other words, God gives us everything we need for the care of both body and soul. His generosity knows no bounds. Therefore, we sit down at the beginning of the year, the beginning of the month, or the beginning of the week to set aside a generous portion of God’s daily bread for His work in the Church. We don’t do this simply because He has commanded us so to do; it is because we, as His children by grace, want to emulate His generosity in our own lives. He is our Father; we are His children. And children want to be like their parents.
Pastor’s Notes October 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We know what a hard place this world is to live in. We text angry. We tweet angry. We drive angry. We even live and work angry. The frustration level of the populace is about ready to burst into one huge screaming match. Or is it there already?
Sometimes in this jumbled mess of a society the Lord gives us a little solace. I recently went to one of our Senior Living Communities to visit a few of our members. Not only was it great to visit with our brothers and sisters and talk about their faith, but also it was a pleasure just to walk around. Everyone in the hallways says, “hello or hi” they may have a walker or a cane but they have joy in their heart and are willing to engage in pleasant conversation. I rode the elevator and didn’t get stuck! Even one of the workers’s made me smile when she thought I was one of the resident’s grandsons instead of their son. Thank you Lord! It all reminded me of a world we would like to live in. Like I say some day’s it is hard just to leave the house.
It all was a reminder of what we have when we worship together. It is a couple hour respite from the “angry” world where we are nurtured and fed and prepared to face another week. People say things like “good morning” and “Lord be with you” and “I’m praying for you.” People smile and have joy in the fellowship of fellow believers. Our worship life is permanent, lasting, and true – something we all need from the 100 – year old parishioner to the newborn baby.
An LCMS Pastor named John Fiene said this, “When we show people that we are grateful to God for the rich theological heritage we have received in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, people are eager and anxious to become part of us. It is hard to teach doctrinal substance in a short period of time, but the more we stand in contrast to society, the more the Gospel seems to break into people’s consciousness as an ‘other-worldly’ truth. Through all this formal, theological, sacramental ‘other-worldliness’ people are realizing a peace in their hearts that cannot be easily described or explained.”
Don’t give up this peace and strength and permanence. I know all of you reading this experience the “hard times” of life. The Lord is calling to you, speaking to you, come join your brothers and sisters in consistent worship and study of God’s Word. It is something down deep you know you need. I pray that the Holy Spirit works this for you.
Find solace in the arms of Jesus. See you in church!
In Christ,
Pastor